Stop saying ‘men

 

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A habit is still a habit

» Vaping is not as bad as smoking, but it’s not better

Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor

 

Verne has practically replaced cigarette
smoking in recent years. Many teens
and young adults are trying the new trend,
and many cigarette smokers are trying it to
kick their cigarette habit. Because there is
no tobacco in vapes or e-cigarettes, many
are under the impression that it’s the
healthier option. Bad news bears—vaping
may not be as bad as smoking, but that
doesn’t mean it’s healthier for you. Vaping
still comes with some health risks that can’t
be ignored.

A recent study in Science News for
Students found that twice as many kids
in high school vape over smoke, and the
ratio was even higher for middle-schoolers.
Tushar Singh from the Smoking and Health
office at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention showed that, in 2015, 2.39
million high school kids vaped—a huge
difference compared to the 1.37 million kids
who smoked cigarettes. Since most people
are under the impression vaping is better
because of the lack of tobacco, many have
forgotten that there are other ingredients
that are harmful to your body.

Vapour oil comes in a variety of
different flavours and although they all
sound delicious, the ingredients tell a
different story. Different types of metals

have been found in e-cigarette vapour
such as mercury, cadmium, nickel, tin, and
silver, to name some. Additionally, some
cancer-causing and addictive ingredients
are found in vaping, such as formaldehyde,
acetaldehyde, and finally nicotine.

There is another type of vaping which
has become popular among high school
students called “Juuling,” which contains
twice the amount of nicotine as similar
products—one Juul pod contains as much
nicotine as one to two packs of traditional
cigarettes. This is concerning considering
how addictive nicotine is, especially to
young adults.

Dr Jessica Wang-Rodriguez echoes the
dangers of assuming e-cigarettes are better
for you. Ina study she co-authored, she
found that vapourized e-cigarette liquids
“induce increased DNA strand breaks
and cell death.” Additionally, research
by Harvard University found that the
chemicals found in some e-cigarettes can
cause something called “popcorn lung,” a
disease that narrows and weakens the lungs
by scarring and inflammation.

There’s no denying vaping is not as
bad as smoking cigarettes in some ways,
but there are still some health risks to
take into consideration before picking an
e-cigarette up. Vaping is not as bad for you,
but it is still addictive and a bad habit to
get into.

are trash

» Let’s not generalize gender

Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor

 

« M en are trash” and “Kill all men”

are statements that are said by
a lot of people these days. Hell, they’re
even printed on t-shirts now. I believe this
rhetoric was originally used to call out the
problematic behaviour exhibited by men,
such as catcalling and different forms of
abuse. However, I don’t think people give a
lot of thought into what these things really
mean.

6¢ It’s not men that are
trash, it’s the system.

 

Are men really trash? Some men
have done some awful and problematic
things, but so have many women. Women
can catcall, be abusive, and exhibit toxic
behaviour. J don’t think it’s so much
a gender problem as it is a systematic
problem that teaches both men and
women that these things are okay. Men
may be the offenders in most cases of
domestic abuse and sexual assault but
that doesn’t mean they are inherently bad
people. Again, it’s just the system that
teaches men that these things are okay. It’s
not men that are trash, it’s the system.

Asa feminist, it’s upsetting to see any
gender generalized or insulted. The core
of feminism is that all genders are equal.
So, by stating “men are trash,” you are
trivializing the entire movement.

It’s wrong for men to be regarded

 
  

this way because not all men are like this.
That’s right, I said not all men, because it’s
true! This type of hatred against men is
called misandry, the opposite of misogyny.
Many people see it as a non-issue because
they believe men deserve this hate, since
they hold the most power in culture and
society. While men do hold a lot of power
politically and socially, I don’t think stating
“men are trash” and drinking juice out of

a “male tears” mug is going to do anything
to change this shift in power, nor will it do
anything to change the system that teaches
people that it’s okay to abuse or oppress
anyone of any gender.

What's frustrating is that most people
who say this have boyfriends, brothers,
fathers, male friends, or all the above.
Thus, it seems hypocritical to me that they
hold these beliefs.

I understand the sentiment of it
all. I have said “all men are trash” more
times than I care to remember. It seemed
justified to me at the time because |
thought the only way to combat my
oppression was to spin it back to the
supposed oppressors, but that doesn’t
really make things even, does it? Also, if
it were men who were saying, “women are
trash,” could you imagine the backlash?

Generalizing an entire gender is
not a good way to go about dismantling
a patriarchal system. Sure, have
conversations about problematic and toxic
behaviours in our society and what we can
do to fix them, but don’t assume all men
are trash—and definitely don’t advocate for
all men to be killed.

Illustration by Cara Seccafien